A Revolution is the Solution
Hurrah, I'll be interested to see what comes of this, what with being that SF member 
Hi PG, nice that you cover this type of adware distribution. So, what software end up installing on your computer after running the "Crack Extractor"?
Internet Optimizer, Dealhelper, 180 Search Assistant, IST Toolbar and Powerscan, along with numerous others listed at http://www.ysbweb.com/terms.html. Hm, I thought I'd included the programs installed in the writeup - oh well, added them now 
PG, your just not sentimental to the needs of the average crackz user is all. The need for this type of tool is immense, I'm gonna call the company up now, to see if they want my new venture capital company, Stevie Wonder Cash Cows For Adware Makers, to invest immediately. I predict at least 100 million to be made the first year. Anyone else? :P
There is a foul odor over here......Go PG go.
Urine extractor, seems a very apt name as someone is taking the Piss big time
Go for it PG they deserve everything they Get
The story is ?able.....there are numerous crack related progs similar to CX out there...and your tabloid style narration sucks -...... and the 'temerc' guy must really love you 
....... and most of us prefer edelman's no-nonsense, factual and accurate analysis. :=:=:
Sorry if the comment sounds too harsh.
Its okay, I'm sure I couldn't care less 
shan - Pg has had more impact on more stupid adware/spyware and every other ware scam in the past year than anyone else i can think of. what you think of his way of doing it is irrelevant - did you ever stop to think that its precisely *because* of his way of doing things that he gets so many results?
"there are numerous crack related progs similar to CX out there."
Great - but show me one security site with major coverage that's covered one of these ysbweb installers yet? havent seen any myself, and sunbelt just covered this story - and they know a fair bit about whats hot and whats not in spyware land
There there, plenty of Pg pie for all :P
How's the story questionable? Do you have any info to dispute the facts as PG presebted them?
Yeah, I like the guy, not THAT way of course, but yeah. He does more for the end users than most in regards to security. His stuff is current, not a week or two behind like SOME newsletters are.
And just because his style is not the same as Ben's, hows that make it any less informative? Or any less on point for that matter? PG likes to inject some taunting humour into his writings, rather than just writing as if it were for a legal breif, which, btw, Ben does most of. His writings are used in court cases quite ofeen, so he needs to be by the book legalese in his information. PG on the other hand, does not need to be so technically perfect, he entertains as well as informs.
Does a fine job.
Ghost gets results, need we say more?
shan, youre plain old wrong - sorry!
hands Shan a bag of sour Grapes
wow PG is one of the best on the net Guy,his style is the whole point,
edelman's stuff may well be factual and accurate , but its not a lot of good for Newbee's out there PG's style allows even the none Computer Savvy to get the idea ,,,,
i still love ya, PG. you keep my boring days interesting.
I mean you critisize EULA's for being deseptive and your the worst case. You will right a sentence ending with the tiny work "potentially" and then start a huge new paragraph "CONTAIN .........." Give me a break dont critisize what you do yourself.
If you told the stories based on facts instead of a bunch of potential bullshit it might get somewhere. Believe me, I hate spyware as much as everyone else, but I am sure you have seen the courts at work. Potentially just doesn't cut it.
You assume everything from who is behind things to how its being done. Why dont you hold stories back until you have the culprits nailed, you may actually catch them instead of scaring them away.
Shan, can you please specifically point to where PG has not used facts he has gathered?
Potential is a word which in and of itself certainly does not mean to invoke any specific intonations, except that to say there is a possiblity. PG then goes and gets the info, and more times than not, he is correct. And, most times, he finds out even more.
And how does the word 'Contain' figure into anything?
I could only guess that English is not your first language.
Because he is saying it potentially contains illegal material. However the word potentially is all but left out.
Even you can admit he's usually right. He's lucky someone doesn't hit him with a lawsuit for slander. Spreading "rumours" is not ethical nor legal.
I'm not saying I dont appreciate his work, hats off to him for donating every second of spare time he has. I just think he could handle things more appropriately, which in turn would become effective.
However, that his decision and its just my 2 cents, no need to curl up and get defensive. If he wants to continue to do everything he can to get himself media attention that's fine to.
Now this whole EULAlyzer is about the dumbest thing I have seen. Count the words in Windows XP's agreement, and what's its reading level. Law is law and its tough to read. Of course its above a grade 12 reading level, so is the business section in a newspaper, what the hell is the legal agreement supposed to say.
Now that part that takes out odd looking clauses is a work of art, but the rest is shit. Unless of course you care to analyze the EULA's of some major corporate software and post those results side by side. If the adware is still way worse then I stand corrected.
I really don't see what the big deal is here. you're also mixing some points up. first off - in case you hadn't noticed, i'm not *using* the EULAlyzer. I'm using something else. i mean, if youve used it yourself surely you can see the output i've produced is totally different to what comes out of Javacools software. so the whole bottom half of what youre saying has absolutely nothing to do with anything in this article whatsoever. moving right along...
if you think the ysbweb licence is okay - considering you DO have to read over nine different licences alongside it - then we have vastly different ideas about what needs to be brought into the open and put through the shredder. why the hell *shouldnt* that be brought into the open? its a joke.
" Because he is saying it potentially contains illegal material. However the word potentially is all but left out."
no i'm not. i'm saying the program named "crack extractor" simply installs a bunch of advertising software, and is called "crack extractor" because its hosted on a warez site and so will entice warez fans galore to run it. THIS is the issue - the "baiting" method used to entice the end-users. the other issue is that (marketing wise) the people whose software is in this bundle may end up looking like *they* are somehow endorsing cracked software, which is obviously something they would not want. this installer is unethical and totally wrong for a number of (incredibly obvious) reasons. i dont *need* to use the word "illegal" when we're talking about a program hosted on a number of cracked software sites.
Spreading rumours? Dude, the thing has got ysbweb all over it, it has one of their standard agreements on it, it links to all their terms and conditions, and the installer calls the software from all the right places. if its *not* ysbweb behind it, surely it is easy enough for them to stand up and say well actually, some rogue affiliate...blah blah blah.
either way, here are the options - ysbweb are guilty of pushing this thing themselves. bad. or - ysbweb have had some (boo hoo) rogue affiliate (yawn) run wild - in which case, ysbweb are guilty of perpetuating the ease with which rogue affiliates are abusing their network and thus causing mayhem online.
after all, if a random guy on my forum could find it and ysbweb *are* being shafted by a rogue, why can THEY not find it with all their money and the rather obvious advantage that its their OWN software thats being pushed? great way to police your internal networks, i dont think. boohoo, the nasty affiliates are shafting us, please help us make them go away PG. Sorry, no. thats the model you employ, thats the way the cookie crumbles.
either way, the product is inexcusable and ysbweb must take their share of the blame. this is the only way the useless affiliate models in place will eventually tighten up.
i already have a shedload of people whose advertising software is included in this bundle contacting me, and theyre not too happy about their products being pushed in this manner.
every major "Bust" i have produced *has* caught the "bad guys" (as you call them), and this site is read by antispyware people and many, many people in the advertising business (both good and bad). when you do something potentially slanderous, believe me, it gets picked up almost instantly. a few weeks back, i mistyped an email from 180 solutions. they were on it within hours and i was happy to correct. to their credit, they are more responsive than a lot of companies in this business.
if you really think ysbweb have nothing to do with the "crack extractor" then fine. the only people who can get the definitive answer are the companies whose software is bundled in the app, which is why i contacted them. but there's something else in the pipeline. and its causing quite a rumble from the sounds of it..
is it just me that doesnt see why we're debating the plusses and minuses of PG here?
someone found an installer with ysb all over it, therefore pg writes about it and gives his opinion. if his opinion of what he saw is negative, big deal. unless you actually SEE any value in something called a crack extractor being pushed on warez websites. however you look at it, the companies who allow this to continue are as guilty as the rogues they suposedly police. oh no wait they dont which is why we need sites like this.
We're debating it because internet communities greatly protect their own.
Most of us have a great deal of respect for PG and his work, so when he comes under attack we all jump in...despite the fact that we all know he's more than capable of handling this on his own.
As for Shan...I see your point about slander and such. I shared it several years ago, before I really understood how THIS portion of the world worked (when I was but a weeee lad just starting out). I'm not judging or guessing at your experience...but I can see your point.
However, remember we live in the age of Sue him...SUE HIM NOW!!! If PG violated one law and didn't respond to the companies that contacted him...he'd be put under before any of us knew what had happened.
Good point Aquias - to date, there have been only two goofs on the site. the first, a case of mistaken identity during the BitTorrent escapade where a popup with an incredibly similar logo to WhenU appeared - i happily amended, and WhenU eventually let me know that (and I quote): "Vitalsecurity's postings..(are).. informative and provide the entire web community with a valuable service."
The other, the already discussed mistype with 180 Solutions. Both accidents, both happily corrected.
The only company I've ever had a *major* beef with are Direct Revenue, and when the BitTorrent thing went down, believe me, legal eagles would have been swooping all over the site.
Yet JP Maheu (CEO of Direct Revenue) said "I think that Vitalsecurity.org is one example [of a blog that pointed out a problem with unapproved installations of Direct Revenue's ad clients, and thereafter Direct Revenue fixed it]."
You may not agree with me hitting hard and fast, but when even the people I have wailed on and yes, will continue to wail on as and when its needed, are saying what I do here is a good thing then thats all the justification i need.
someone i cared about may well be dead or their life ruined all because of the crap that pollutes the internet - the trigger, an msn trojan that roped in some adware cash into the bargain.
i am deadly serious when i say that every single time i post, i've already cranked it down a few notches.
the garbage and unethical practices that pollute the internet created me, and i could care less if i upset more than a few apple carts along the way.
bottom line - if something stinks, i will kick some ass and continue to do so until the bad smell is replaced by something more refreshing.
Anything beyond that is irrelevant.
have the culprits nailed,
and how often does that happen??
as long As PG gets them running its ok by me
Agreed, running is fine.
Ghost, what is this new item down the pipeling, I cant hear the rumbling in Australia yet?
Oh, it'll come soon enough
Do we get prizes for guessing? I am going to say it has something to do with DR.
(I know I really went out on a limb there )
Soon enough as in today, this time zone wait kills me.
I'm...uh...nevermind...
Getting them running is the Point
i always did prefer a moving Target
That's why i always stay sitting when you are around Milli
And here...I thought there was a different reason for that...
Ooooohhhhhh Aquias, what would that different reason be?
Ohhh, damn woman are always working to get me into trouble!!!
PG, you will love this........
I went to a friends home with the intention of installing Outlook 2003 for her. After installinig it, the software asks you if you would like to check for updates to the software. After clicking "yes" and being directed to the microsoft office update site, ysbweb.com., network.aptimus.com, and www.funbangladesh.com, all did what I can only describe as "hijacking" and began installing heaven knows what. When I was asked if I wanted to install one of the millions of parts, I said "no" but it proceeded anyway!!I shut down the computer, restarted, got back on the Internet, and suddenly www.funbangladesh.com was there AGAIN, installing software. To make a long story short, I have now reformatted her PC as it eventually would do nothing but constantly reboot. These people should be sued or reported to some Internet governing authority. I'm behind you all the way.
Sam
ouch, that sounds like one nasty install
Tonight, without warning... without asking... and certainly without any sight of an EULA... I was visited by someone with the address;
http://www.ysbweb.com/install/...etc
Subsequently, Adaware reported close to 200 files, folders, registry additions and alterations. McAfee listed 5 'probable unwanted's. And after my attempts to clean up the mess, Defrag reports a VERY long list of undeletable fragments.
I am quite old, and not a particularly savvy computer user. I will probably now spend a day formatting my disk and repairing this unacceptable invasion of my computer.
I would like to see the scum that perpetrate these things, punished in the most painful way possible.
Hello. Like most people on the net i download adult movies. Yes, i'm not ashamed about it, i'm just horny. Anyway, by many files windows mediaplayer will try to get the license to play and thus asking me to install somthinbg from ysbweb.
Now i don't like to install stuff in order to see something i should ALREADY be able to see. Sure the ysbweb-way of thinking is to make money on those who blindly click on "yes" when they think about adult situations. But because i'm not into that "install-crap-on-my-computer-style" i searched for information and that led me also here... to haloscan.com and vitalsecurity.org ... Now... if it were'nt for you nice people, i might have eagerly clicked yes, because i couldn't stand the pressure of having tons of adult movies and better not watching them.
I kind of feel like Eve who was kept away savely from the apple. Now whether you're all the voice of God or just Adam that doesn't want Eve in trouble i don't know, but i DO THANK YOU!!! Now... as a good christian i will search for save porn Amen
I feel like one of those preacher dudes!
Testify!
QUOTE: SHAN "and most of us prefer edelman's no-nonsense, factual and accurate analysis"
"Most of us," you are? Please cite references before submitting.
«sorry for nitpicking, but I don't like sweeping generalisations unless I'm making them»
deseptive words
schol
Commenting by HaloScan
